Please help! How do I cook steak?

vodkaqueen75

thank you all for your replies, i bought the meat from the butchers and it was quite expensive i paid nearly £8.00 for it
must just of been my cooking!!
I will try everything on here and see if it makes a difference, and i agree with you all that i think i overcooked it
thanks again xx

Lillibet_2

I prefer sirloin to rump, it has a bit more fat in it but I think this actually softens it. I always grill miine (briefly!). If in doubt, ask your butcher how he recommends cooking it, he should be delighted to help you.

HTH;)

vodkaqueen75

thanks! well i was going to ask the butcher how to cook it, it was my first time in a butchers and i bought a £20 freezer pack and we decided to get the steak, but when i went to ask him about 5 people walked in the shop and i didnt want to look stupid :rolleyes: so kept my mouth shut, i went on jamie oliver website and some others to see how to cook it but it was all recipie based and we just wanted plain ole steak!
We will prob try again next tuesday, luckily hubby was really polite and said it was lovely....... bet he said different to his workmates the next day :rotfl:

Jay-Jay_4

Hiya

My hubby used to like his steak well done.... it looked like he was eating the sole of a shoe

I have a very heavy frying pan, I put a teeny bit of oil in (a teaspoon) and push it around the pan with a plastic spatula thingie. I get the pan really hot (otherwise the meat boils in its own juices) and slap the steaks in (open the door/window/ put extractor fan on) After about 2 minutes I turn them and give them another two minutes. Then out of the pan, onto a plate and cover them with foil for about 10 minutes.

The result is 'usually' two steaks that are 'just' pink in the middle but not bleeding I have converted hubby into eating his steak like this as it really is much more tender.

The next part of eating steak is having good steak knives. Not the ones that have huge serrations and which rip the meat but either sharp straight bladed knives or sharp short-serrated knives.

Last but not least, for minimal chewage (:D) cut the steak across the grain when you're eating it.

Rob123

Just come back from South Brazil, where meat (specifically steak) is their staple diet.

They all cook their's by slapping a load of rock salt on each side & cooking on a high heat (normally a massive barbecue) for a short time...the outside nice & brown (any fat slightly crisped) ...the very middle a little Pink (or to choice)...still lots of juices evident when served.

Delicious.

For what it's worth, my ongoing pursuit for the perfect steak over several years (& having watched them in Brazil each year for the past 5yrs), yields this....

Buy high quality meat with some degree of fat on it (I've had the best results with rib eye here in the UK...nicely marbled with fat).

Coat side liberally with Rock salt.

Cook on a high heat (griddle pan) using animal fat....actually preferably barbecue it but it's not that practical living in the London winter.

Once both sides are nicely coloured...tap the meat to remove any remaining rock salt & serve.


I've never had any success cooking cheap steak at a low heat or for a long cooking time...end result is always tough steak.

competitionscafe

What Pal said is spot on.

If you grill a steak on low it will be tough and if you like your steak 'well done' it will also be tough. One thing you could try is brushing the steaks with oil frying them very quickly on each side in a very hot pan, (for me they now just need resting and then eating) but - you could then put them in an ovenproof dish , pour over the pan juices and put straight into a hot (200c) preheated oven for 5 minutes or so and then rest them. Haven't tried this myself but it works with guinea fowl or chicken supremes which you don't want undercooked, so it may work with a steak (preferably a thick one)

I agree with Rob123 as well - Rib eye is my favourite steak, followed by Rump - however Sirloin or Fillet will be more tender (and more expensive!) if tenderness is a priority. However no steak should be 'well done' - you will ruin it!

This article by Simon Hopkinson has some good tips too:
http://www.waitrose.com/food_drink/wfi/cooking/techniques/9903050.asp

Motherof1

Afternoon all,

I have taken some steak out to cook for dinner tonight. The only problem is that when I cook it, it tasteslike rubber and it's very chewy!

Please could you share you tips on the best way to cook steak? I want it to be tasty and tender....(by the way I don't have one of those bashing things....

Thanks.

Please feel free to move if its in the wrong thread....Thanks

aurora_borealis_2

hello mum

What sort of steak is it?

Fay

I guess it depends on how you like it cooked i.e. grilled, fried, oven baked and how you like it i.e. medium, rare, well done?

Anne_Marie_2

My lot never have a problem eating steak that I cook, and am a veggie! Not sure what kind you have bought, but I tend to get sirloin, or fillet (if it's well reduced). Only takes 3-4 mins either side on grill or in iron griddle pan.........or half the time if you have a George Foreman type grill - and that's for medium steak, possibly about 1/2" thick. I just whap it on whatever cooking medium I am using with tongs.
Sure someone else will be along soon with more suggestions.